Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors (0-0) will host the Houston Rockets (0-0) on Tuesday night. Here is how to watch this NBA game.

Date: Tuesday, October 17

Time: 10:30 p.m. E.T

Location: Oakland, California

Venue: Oracle Arena

TV info: NSBA, RTSW

Live Stream: NBA.com

According to oddsstack.com, 9.0 points favor Golden State to win this matchup.

There are two NBA games on tap for Tuesday, October 17. One of those games will be between the Houston Rockets (0-0) and the Golden State Warriors (0-0). Tipoff from Oracle Arena in Oakland will be at 10:30 pm E.T.

Root Sports Southwest will carry the game in the Greater Houston area. NBC Sports Bay Area will carry the game in the Bay Area. NBA TNT will have the national broadcast. The available live stream can be found on NBA.com.

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A year after hiring coach Mike D’Antoni and putting the ball in James Harden’s hands, the Rockets took off to a flaming 55-win season that warranted the 3rd seed in the Western Conference. After the Rockets fell short to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals, GM Daryl Morey made roster upgrades. They dealt a handful of journeymen and draft picks for all-star Chris Paul, and signed free agents P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute to help them stop opponents.

We’ll see soon if Chris Paul and James Harden share the same chemistry on the court as they do off of it (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

The biggest question is how well Paul and Harden can co-exist. Just last season when he was made full-time point guard, Harden became the first player in league history to average 29 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Harden (the runner-up MVP) now must share with a ball-dominant point guard in Paul. Paul must adjust to life off-the-ball, which is something completely new for him.

Mike D’Antoni has to change his offense, too. Instead of the offense being built around three-pointers, dunks, layups and free throws, he’ll have to make space for the spectacle mid-range of Paul. Expect the answer to come in Paul playing off-the-ball most of the time. The good thing is Houston is now one of the most complete and balanced teams in the league with shooters everywhere you turn. Last season, they had a top-10 offense in league history – bringing in Paul can’t hurt. Paul and Harden will each have to sacrifice touches and touch time, but, if this pairing works out, Houston might be Golden State’s biggest threat.

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The Golden State Warriors enter the season as the defending champs and the favorites to repeat again. While the rest of the league went into a frenzy, the Warriors sat and relaxed atop their throne as there was no need for anything but housekeeping. They re-signed their starters – Kevin Durant (for less than the max), Stephen Curry and Zaza Pachulia. They also re-signed key reserves Andre Iguodala, JaVale McGee, David West and Shaun Livingston.

Kevin Durant took something of a pay cut in order to make sure teammates like Andre Iguodala came back in a Warriors’ jersey. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Durant made everything work by signing a two-year extension well below his market value. This gave the Warriors the freedom to retain their championship roster and give Iguodala the third year he wanted. They added a pair of veterans: Omar Casspi and Nick Young. Young can be an unconscious scorer and a potential sixth-man type when he’s in rhythm. Jordan Bell, the 2017 draftee, looked solid during the preseason and will be developed for the future.

Head coach Steve Kerr is expected to be at full strength when he returns after missing long stretches over the last two seasons. The new league schedule helps the Warriors, and Kerr, going from 17 back-to-backs down to 14 back-to-backs. The Warriors wanted to rest more and now will be able to. The expectations are so high that anything less than a third championship in four years would be a massive failure. For Golden State, the real test comes in the postseason as they’ll need to bring the energy playing deep in the season yet again.

Both teams had solid preseasons as the Rockets finished 4-1 and the Warriors finished 2-2 but also limited their stars minutes in the two losses to get everyone involved. The Rockets did a remarkable job shooting the ball especially during the first three games of the preseason. Coach Mike D’Antoni worked his starters and key rotation players very hard to make sure they would be ready for the upcoming season and season opener with the Golden State Warriors.